Wedding photos

Here's some mad photos from the night of the wedding!

Bout time

OK job at Barclays finally sorted.... what next pidgeons?

Rhetoric, Dogma, oh and Cuts!

Everyone can moan about the state the last government left the country in, personally I don't think it was so much the fault of the government but several compounding factors. The Banking crisis, remember this was a global recession and because of how internationalised our economy is we would have been in deep doo doo anyway even if we had regulated our banks properly.

Amazingly we went 15/16 years without a recession, in that time the US had suffered around 3. So we did well as a combination of previous Tory/Lab policies, but the economy was due for a check to bring it inline. Everything was steamrolling upwards, inflation (though its worse now), house prices, utility bills. The financial sector had unfettered growth, rightly or wrongly if it wasn't for this sector some of you wouldn't have had access to loans to buy your homes or get that nice car.

There's not much we as a nation can do about the mess we found ourselves in. We now have to move forward and start building a more robust system. 12 months ago I gave the Tory party consideration of my vote......(they didn't get it in the end). Now I can't even stand the sight of them or the liberals.

CUT CUT CUT is all its about, when they formed the coalition (or conservative-led government), they promised to make cuts in a fair and considered way. Bills such as the Free Schools, Tuition Fees, NHS Reform amongst others have been rushed through without much consideration. When you make fundamental changes to so many services there needs to be some deliberation, yet none has taken place IMHO and its been pushed on dogma, rhetoric and Tory ideology. We are moving to a marketised NHS with the GP being in control of the budgets. HE is now becoming a commercialised venture, with exorbitant fees in place. I am not saying labour would do any better, hell they can't even come up with a decent policy at the moment (and they threw away their chances of entering government again by electing the wrong Miliband).

Everything is rushed, some decisions such as the cuts needed to be sorted quickly, I get that. But major reform to education and NHS like that being proposed needs to be thought through and it hasn't.
We have still to see the results of the last lot of changes from Labour, so we can't even measure that now and won't be able to if the Tories get their way and rush through changes.
Is Cameron a liar? Like any politician he bends the truth to his benefit.

Notice how quickly policy changes in this government when there is vocal opposition from sectors of the public? Such as the ending of the sports grants......sharp got reversed didn't it? or protecting the "schools budget" which was in line for a cut?
Its all doom and bloody gloom at the moment, what annoys me is they keep complaining about the mess the last government left us instead of getting on with the job they are paid and were elected to do, which is to clean it up.

Notice how all the TOP jobs in government are held by Tories? Goes to show who the real power brokers are in this.

Ciao! xx

10 yrs ago....

I was in my final year of school....

What is calamity it was, this time I was probably failing a shitty GNVQ...along with that I was still apathetic towards doing coursework...ironically I was still expected to do "ok"....10 yrs ago March 31st I broke an ankle and sort of become know as the dip shit with the peg leg.....yeah the one that got hit by a learner driver....

Why I write this isn't so much to look back on this but more so think about being younger...I am by no means older but getting older I feel, and I think 10 years ago and it brings a somewhat warm feeling.....not being aware of the stupidness that exists outside the four walls of education.  I actually begin to wish I enjoyed those years at school a wee bit more as  I can't ever relive them, forgive I don't want to live in the past but sure it is normal when upon hearing a certain song or looking back for one to feel nostalgic?

 

Caio! xx

Hammered.....

Yeah am a wee bit drunk man....

That being said am avin a laugh with the other half dancing on our todd(s) lol

It’s been while…..

Yeah I know, am kinda lazy and bad… In another part of the country or maybe a different country right now…they speak strangely these lot.

Anyway:

Tution Fee protests – yeh!
Coalition Goverment – Booo!

 

Ciao! xx

This maybe the best mistake…

I am now starting the GYM and hoping to document my progress or lack there of…

Each time I go I am going to aim to give an update of what I did during that session and how much my fat arse weighs… yes unlike women I won’t shy away from saying how fat I am!!!

Vital statistics first:

Height: 5ft 8in (Yes I am somewhat of a short arse!)
Weight: 12st 2lbs (Yes I really am a fat bastard!)
Waist: 32 inches (although can squeeze into a 30” at a push)
Shoe Size: 10 (as Dad says my shoes are so big you could go sailing)
Skin Colour: White
Cock Size: As if I’m that vain!!!
Hair Colour: Fair/Light Brown
Eye Colour: Hazel
Moob Size: Not quite an A cup luckily!

Anyway that's me…

Today 1st September 2010 was supposed to be the start of my new fitness regime where I eat sensibly.  This was supposed to be the start where I don't necessarily stop eating those things I love (Pizzas, Croissants, Cornettos et al…).  It was supposed to be the start when I have a more considered food consumption and eat those fatty things in moderation.  I wanted to prove a point by saying you don’t need to diet with these stupid fad things like slimming world or the silly and dangerous British Heart Foundation diet.  My aim is to make good and manageable progress so I keep fit and feel good…

Well I got off to such a good start today…woke up feeling awake…didn’t have breakfast till I got to work…5 mins later I ended up in Greggs buying a bacon and sausage butty…with a huge latte!  To compound the effing problem we had a busy day at work and I needed or wanted more fat food….so a Maccy D’s beckoned! FAIL! EPIC FAIL!!!!!!

So I knew tonight I had to get my arse to the gym to start this new regime.  I did and sweated enough to feel like I actually made some effort…

Managed:

Bicep thingy machine: 5 reps of 10
Quads thingy: 5 reps of 10
Hams thingy: 5 reps of 10
Rowing Machine: 2500m
Exercise Bike: 5.6 miles
This running type thing which works your arms as well: 10 minutes don’t know how many miles.

Anyway after I came away I didn’t feel like I injured myself so its a start…what I feel like in the morning…right now am seating down being lazy using one of those ab trainer belts.

I sign off while the other half makes me a bacon sarnie but removing the fat (yes I FAIL AGAIN!!!!)

 

Ciao xx

Hmmm

So who is for a V.A.T. rise then?

Ways to Reduce the Deficit

As a so called "left winger" I empathise with the need to drastically cut the deficit and fast. Some of the Tory policies such as the IHT and Marriage tax cuts to me a hugely expensive token gestures that are unaffordable in the current climate, the former of which I am totally against.

However cutting spending I think we need to bring down our Social Welfare bill massively and clamp down on these scrotes who are costing the working individual billions by not shifting off their lazy hinds by getting a job and actually paying their fair share. Some of the policies such as reassessing everyone on welfare specifically all sick and disability related benefits I am all for, if you can't work then so be it, but you shouldn't expect an easy ride to be able to claim welfare easily without going through rigorous assessments and checks.

Frontline services need to be protected, so that means Police officers who patrol the streets, Teachers and assistants in the classrooms, nurses and doctors. The key personnel that keep a society safe, educated and healthy should be spared. Those who aren't frontline and aren't part of the fundamental schematics of a just society sadly shouldn't. There is too much beauocracy in the public sector and this needs to be drastically cut, there are too many departments and this needs to be streamline. Social responsibility and policy needs to be given back to the local areas so it can be tailored to their needs. This would mean scrapping large areas of Whitehall and local government.

One of the biggest concerns for me is public sector pensions, these are seen as the crème de la crème of retirement benefits in employment and I fiercely oppose the idea that those who work in the private sector should subsidise the cost of these expensive and out of date schemes. Bringing that into line with the private sector would be a start. It would also save government a lot of money and make good headway in the deficit.

The only tax cut I support is 10k minimum that is it. No other tax cuts should be introduced or reversed. I voted Labour for idealistic reasons, but I accept based on the current needs of the economy and the country we need huge cuts. What has been proposed so far seems fair bar the education since that is the thing which needs to be bolstered if we are to grow our way out of recession and give individuals the right skills.

As it stands based on numbers and policy the mish mash we have with the coalition is the best we could have hoped for. So I am willing to give them a chance providing they don't introduce stupid expensive tax cuts when we can barely afford the 10k one which has been agreed upon.

Raising Cash

Raising V.A.T. to 20% would add another 12 billion to the coffers based on the amount we had to borrow to fund the most recent V.A.T. cut. This is the fairest tax of them all and everyone would then contribute whether you're on the dole or in an overpaid job.

Cutting overseas aid massively so we can get our own house in order first (highly controversial but we shouldn't be borrowing from other countries to hand out the money free to others with no obvious benefit). Could shave off around 75% of that.

A complete freeze on all public sector pay, don't care if you are only on 12k a year, bite your lip and do what the rest of us have done in the private sector and get on with it and be thankful you have a job.
There should be no wage rises as the cost of living has not gone up by much over the last 2 years and the average wage rise in the private sector hasn't been anything anywhere near that of the public sector. It's all about balance, the public sector is bloated it needs to not just be pruned but rebuilt on a money efficient and streamlined model. I don't advocated profit making companies becoming involved nor am I talking about privatisation either. I am talking true waste, such as the countless managers running the NHS and various other public bodies. Whilst there has been record investment in public services, the public sector has gotten too big, this was to be expected during a recession but now it needs rolling back.

Another option would be maintaining our stakes in the bank and reaping the dividends from their profits for a few years, make the swines pay for getting us into this mess.

These would save/raise money admittedly some will cost jobs, but the thing I realise now is that realignment needs to take place and its going to be painful. It is not the job of government to be bigger than the private sector, the private sector is the main source of income regarding tax and it should always stay that way. We need to get back to living within our means and that will involve making every pound we spend go that much further.

So whether you're a nurse, a doctor, a copper or a teacher take it on the chin and don't protest about cuts, realise THEY ARE NECESSARY. Be thankful you have a job and enjoy it. There are many others who don't and would grab at the chance to be in your position.

 

Ciao! xx